There is an abundance of materials available at the state and national level that details bicycle and pedestrian planning and guidance. A number of those resources are linked below. More resources will be added as the planning process progresses.
Advocacy and Encouragement Organizations
- The League of American Bicyclists is a national advocacy group promoting bicycling. LAB’s webpage includes numerous resources for bicyclists.
- The Wisconsin Bike Fed is Wisconsin’s only statewide bicycle advocacy group. The Bike Fed website abounds with information about bicycling in Wisconsin.
Planning & Design Guidance – National
- The NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide features detailed design guidance for a variety of bicycle facilities. The NACTO guide includes basic facilities such as bike lanes as well as more complex treatments including cycletracks, bicycle traffic signals, and other “innovative” facilities that are relatively new to the United States.
- The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) governs the use of signs, street markings and signals in the United States.
- The AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th Edition, provides information on how to accommodate bicycle travel and operations in most riding environments. The Guide is considered the primary resource for the design for the design of bicycle facilities in the United States. The Guide is only available for purchase at this time.
Planning & Design Guidance – Wisconsin
- The Wisconsin Bicycle Facility Design Handbook (4.03MB PDF) details the proper design of on- and off-street bicycle facilities in Wisconsin. The Guide is based on the previous version of the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, and includes Wisconsin-specific guidance. An update of the Wisconsin Guide based on the 2012 AASHTO Guide is in the works.
- The Wisconsin Rural Bicycle Planning Guide (1.57MB PDF) provides guidance on planning for bicycles in rural areas. The guide highlights serving a range of bicyclists and criteria to use when planning for bicyclists in a rural setting.
Pedestrian & Bicycling Economic Impacts and Other Resources
- Valuing Bicycling’s Economic and Health Impacts in Wisconsin (873KB PDF) estimates the value of bicycling to tourism, health and the economy in Wisconsin. The study estimates that bicycling provides over $1.4 billion in annual economic and health benefits to the state.
- The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center provides extensive information about the benefits of bicycling and walking as well as resources related to promoting both activities.
Bicycle Maps
- Wisconsin DOT provides county bike maps for every county in the state. The maps rate roads by bicycling condition based on traffic volumes, shoulder width and other factors. The maps also display trails, parks and other bicycling destinations.
- The Stevens Point Bike Route Map (922KB PDF) shows bicycle facilities in the Stevens Point urban area.
I’m particularly pleased to see you include the NACTO Guide in your resources above. BikePortland commented on its value when this guide was released a couple of years ago:
http://bikeportland.org/2011/03/09/city-transportation-officials-unveil-urban-bikeway-design-guide-49429
BIkePortland quoted from the guide:
” ‘The Guide offers substantive guidance for cities and towns in the U.S., where existing guidance has failed to move forward as quickly as international experience and growth in cycling would warrant.’ ”
To learn the thinking of key people behind NACTO – leaders such as NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, DOT commissioners from NYC, Chicago, Boston, SF, and Philadelphia, and US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood – you can read accounts from BikePortland’s coverage of the NACTO 2012 Designing Cities Conference this past October here:
http://bikeportland.org/tag/designing-cities-conference
Although the Stevens Point/Whiting/Plover urban area is much smaller than these major metropolises, many of the same issues confront us. Adopting some of their solutions to help attract and retain the ‘creative class’ – think UWSP and MSTC graduates – can help our community compete with other places, even some of these larger cities, to encourage employers to relocate here.
Although many people primarily think of a bike/ped plan as a recreational guide, in reality it is an enabler for economic growth. This is the motivation behind NACTO, and its guide is an excellent tool we can use.